Just got my macbook up and running. Seller put a fresh copy of Snow Leopard so computer needed all my info and other stuff setup. I downloaded Firefox since that is the browser I normally use on my PC's. I installed but now whenever I open it it I actually get the window with the Firefox icon and the application folder icon. Then it will open normally but after I close the browser and blue icon looking like a drive is on the top right hand section of the desktop screen. I know I must have screwed up somewhere? Please talk me through installing downloaded software and then how to dispose of the install files. I would really appreciate common terms. I am not a rookie computer user but I have very very very little apple experience. I see words like mount and stuff and it is over my knowledge at this point.

Thanks, Pat.

That is called a Disk Image (.dmg).


You need to drag that Firefox icon into your applications folder in order to correctly install and use the program.

This was you don't have to open that folder each time you use the program.

Thank you I got it figured out now....appreciate the help.

Pat.

Pat, just so you know when installing applications in the future, there are basically two ways of installing apps on the Mac. Some can simply be installed by drag and drop (drag them to your applications folder and drop) and some require an installer. The ones that require an installer will be fairly obvious - the ones that install via drag and drop often have an alias of the Applications folder beside the app icon - you can just drag the app icon onto the Applications folder alias and you're done. If there is no Applications folder alias, you can drag the app onto your Applications folder in the Dock. You don't have to actually open the Applications folder in the Finder in order to put the application there, if you don't want to. :)

Also, should you ever want to uninstall an application, anything that was installed via drag and drop can be dragged and dropped to the trash and usually there isn't much left lying about (some .plist files, maybe some cache files). Some apps that installed via an installer also have an uninstaller. Generally, it's a cleaner process than with Windows - fewer files are scattered all over the OS.

Thanks Paddy, now I just have to find some good software to make this little unit complete and I will be a happy camper. I am sure it will take me a few weeks to get used to Leopard but love the layout already. Keyboard is nice too... way easier than my netbook was.

Pat.